On Friday Evening a Shallow M4.8 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 63mi from Eureka (The United States).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 29th, 2026.

A shallow M4.8 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 63 miles from Eureka, The United States in the evening of Friday August 28th, 2026. Around 180 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 62 miles (99 km) off the coast of The United States, 63 miles southwest of Eureka in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 28, 2026 07:41PM (Los Angeles Time) - Aug 29, 2026 02:41 Universal Time.
Location:	63 mi SW of Eureka, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°27'5"N 125°16'12"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.8 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.3 .
Depth:	6 mi (10 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 180 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 180 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 57,020 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 120 thousand) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
98,160	I	Not noticable	None
119,400	II	Very weak	None
57,020	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 63 miles (101 km) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Eureka (California, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Eureka is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
63 mi (101 km) NE from epicenter	Eureka California, The United States.	III Weak
68 mi (110 km) NE from epicenter	Arcata California, The United States.	II Weak
69 mi (111 km) NE from epicenter	Bayside California, The United States.	II Weak
70 mi (113 km) NE from epicenter	McKinleyville California, The United States.	II Weak
142 mi (228 km) SE from epicenter	Ukiah California, The United States.	I Not felt
152 mi (244 km) E from epicenter	Redding California, The United States.
170 mi (274 km) NE from epicenter	Grants Pass Oregon, The United States.
175 mi (281 km) SE from epicenter	Clearlake California, The United States.
180 mi (289 km) NE from epicenter	Medford Oregon, The United States.
180 mi (289 km) NE from epicenter	Ashland Oregon, The United States.
180 mi (290 km) NE from epicenter	Central Point Oregon, The United States.
186 mi (299 km) SE from epicenter	Windsor California, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 5 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.6

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.6	5 hrs earlier Aug 28, 2026 02:24PM (Los Angeles Time)	13 mi (22 km) SE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.8	Aug 28, 2026 07:41PM (Los Angeles Time)	-

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 6th, 2026, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 140 mi (226 km) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2024.

In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 6 mi (10 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 29/08/26 06:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.